Obama Signs Executive Orders

President Obama created two new executive orders on Tuesday: The first, a Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, dedicated to “enhance cybersecurity awareness and protections at all levels of Government, business, and society, to protect privacy, to ensure public safety and economic and national security, and to empower Americans to take better control of their digital security.”

This order will work to strengthen cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors. The President also called for improved sharing and implementation of best practices utilized government wide. This order could directly impact security certifications such as FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria and listing on the DoDIN APL. These certifications, which are already widely mandated, could be implemented in more departments and agencies, helping to secure products utilized within the FED.

The President’s second order, the Establishment of the Federal Privacy Council, will help to protect the large amount of information that the federal government collects on all of its citizens. Twenty0five different agencies will be working together to help secure this vast amount of data that is currently being held and analyzed by the U.S. government. “The Federal Privacy Council (Privacy Council) as the principal interagency forum to improve the Government privacy practices of agencies and entities acting on their behalf.”

An additional proposal has been submitted to Congress to allocate $19 billion for information technology upgrades and other cyber initiatives in 2017, a 35% increase over 2016.

A new position will soon be created to help modernize efforts across the government. This new Chief Information Security Officer will oversee a $3.1 billion Information Technology Modernization Fund.

As the President, Congress, and Federal Departments begin to tighten restrictions on products and practices, make sure you have taken the necessary steps to secure and harden your products security. Contact Us to get the process started.